Before You Even Think of Starting a New Recipe, Read This Mistake #2 Not Giving Yourself Enough Time I cannot stress this enough: just because recipes say that they can be made from start to finish in thirty or forty-five minutes does not mean that a person who is unfamiliar with the recipe or the […]

The post How NOT to Start a Recipe – Part 2 appeared first on The Reluctant Gourmet.

These pan-seared pork chops with a side of garlicky greens are the perfect one-pan meal. It’s ready in about half an hour, too! P.S. Brining makes all the difference with making juicy chops, so don’t skip it.

Chocolate Poke Cake From Scratch is one of the most amazing and moist cakes you’ll ever have!

A secret ingredient brings out the chocolatey goodness in the cake while adding a rich layer of homemade pudding keeps it extra moist! It’s all topped off with a simple one minute chocolate frosting!

A Tip For Enhanced Chocolate Flavor

This is one of the most amazing chocolate cakes of all time! My son calls this his favorite cake hands down!

Making a chocolate poke cake from scratch is easier than you think and it’s so worth the extra time!

If you love a great chocolatey flavor, I have a little secret to share with you! Adding just a little bit of coffee to the batter brings out the rich chocolate flavor (but don’t worry, you don’t taste a coffee flavor). This even works in place of water if you’re making a boxed mix!

Originally I made this cake for my son’s 18th birthday…but of course when you have a house full of teenage boys and a chocolate cake, getting photos is kind of challenging. *Sigh* … so I had to make the cake AGAIN, oh the hardships, more chocolate cake! And it was just as amazing!

Pourable Poke Cake Topping

The cake itself is decadent and moist with an amazing rich chocolate flavor…even without the pudding on top, it is excellent!!

The homemade pudding is super easy and quick and takes this cake to the next level! The whole thing is topped with my absolute favorite one minute easy chocolate frosting. This “poured frosting” is quick to make and requires not spreading, just pour over the cake and tilt to spread!

Items you’ll need for this recipe:

9 x 13 pan

chocolate chips

cocoa powder

After trying this Chocolate Poke Cake From Scratch, you may never want to use a boxed recipe again!

Chocolate Poke Cake

This Chocolate Poke Cake From Scratch is one of the most amazing and moist cakes you’ll ever have! A secret ingredient brings out the chocolatey goodness in the cake while adding a rich layer of homemade pudding keeps it extra moist! It’s all topped off with a simple one minute chocolate frosting!

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Cake

1 3/4 cups flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup brewed coffee (, cooled)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Pudding Layer

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

pinch of salt

2 1/4 cups milk

1 tablespoon butter

Frosting

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup butter (, softened)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease & flour a 9×13 inch pan.

Combine milk & lemon juice and set aside. (The mixture will thicken slightly)

This Weight Loss Vegetable Soup Recipe is one of our favorites! As you would expect in a vegetable soup recipe, this is completely loaded with fresh veggies and flavor. It’s naturally low in fat and calories it’s the perfect lunch, snack or starter!

While we eat it as a starter or lunch, to make this more of a main dish for dinner, we often add our favorite proteins (like leftover turkey or chicken) and some grains such as Quinoa or brown rice.

Weight Loss Vegetable Soup Recipe

Vegetable soup is delicious, healthy and filling! It’s easy to make and perfect for lunch or afternoon snack.

It’s bright, colorful and loaded with all kinds of vegetables (and you can easily sub in whatever veggies you like or have on hand).

A Zero Point Weight Watchers Meal

Of course, this soup isn’t the magic weight loss secret but if you’re trying to cut calories this is perfect to have in your fridge ready to enjoy when you need a snack or a quick meal!

Vegetable soup is not only loaded with flavor, it fills your belly and is naturally low in calories and fat.

When we are trying to cut back (usually in January after the holidays) we enjoy a small bowl of this vegetable soup before each meal. (And if you follow Weight Watchers, this is a 0 point soup… a freebie and it’s 21 day fix approved) or I use it as a snack to tide me over until dinner.

I love cabbage in this soup, it adds bulk and fills your belly. If you’re not a fan of cabbage, you can most certainly substitute kale or spinach. Keep in mind that kale will add more bulk and spinach will shrink down quite a bit.

Making This Veggie Soup a Main Course

If you want to make this into a main course, you can add leftover chicken or turkey or even ground turkey along with cooked brown rice, quinoa or even whole wheat noodles.

Add in any veggie you like. I sometimes make this to use up vegetables in the fridge and if you happen to have roasted veggies, they add an amazing flavor too.

It’s very versatile and you can swap or add any veggie to make this to your liking or swap beef broth for chicken.

How to Add More Flavor to Vegetable Soup

We love this vegetable soup and it’s very flavorful! We season with our favorite herbs or add Italian Seasoning but you can add whatever you’d like! Here are a few additions to change the flavor:

replace canned tomatoes with spicy canned tomatoes

add a few dashes of hot sauce

fresh herbs such as basil or cilantro

parmesan cheese (or a cheese rind while cooking)

a very small amount of balsamic vinegar

tomato paste or bouillion

a splash of wine

How to Freeze Vegetable Soup

This vegetable soup recipe is great because it can be made on the weekend to enjoy throughout the week and it freezes well. I spoon it into single servings and portion it into freezer bags.

They’re easy to take out for a quick meal or snack and perfect to heat up for a quick meal on the go. If you’re looking for something quick and healthy you’ll love this easy veggie soup recipe!

Weight Loss Vegetable Soup Recipe

This Weight Loss Vegetable Soup Recipe is one of our favorites! Completely loaded with veggies and flavor and naturally low in fat and calories it’s the perfect lunch, snack or starter!

1 small onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 cup diced carrots

4 cups chopped cabbage (approx. 1/4 head of cabbage)

1 cup green beans (1″ pieces)

2 whole bell peppers (chopped)

1 can (28 oz low sodium diced tomatoes)

6 cups low sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon each thyme & basil

pepper to taste

2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups sliced zucchini

In a large pot cook onion & garlic over medium heat until slightly softened.

Add in zucchini & broccoli. Simmer an additional 5 minutes or until softened.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

This is NOT medical advice. This recipe is provided for informational purposes and enjoyment only. Eating this soup doesn’t guarantee weight loss. Before starting any weight loss program, be sure to consult your doctor.

NOTE: Nutritional information auto-generated and is based on the quantities, amounts, and brands of products I used in this recipe. Actual amounts may vary based on your preparation and products used. Informational purposes only, this is not medical information or advice.

Thanks for joining me for another Nine Favorite Things post. This week between Christmas and New Years is always such a great time to take some time away from work, take a minute to breath and to reflect on the year. As usual, it’s a little chaotic over here with our of town guests shuffling […]

Ribollita is a thick Tuscan stew – dark greens, lots of beans, vegetables, olive oil, thickened with day-old bread. It is hearty, filling, infinitely nourishing, and flat-out, the sort of food I crave. The amount of kale you collapse into each pot is impressive, and you’ll be patting yourself on the back before, during, and after you eat. Here are the details – it’s a soup I make constantly this time of year.
I should mention, with ribollita, it’s one of those things where there are as many ways to make it as there are cooks. I normally use whole canned tomatoes this time of year – torn up. But had crushed tomatoes on hand, and they worked out nicely. You can use canned beans, beans cooked from dried, or cooked beans you’ve frozen and thawed. As far as guidelines go? Your ribollita should be thick – eventually. A sloppy sounding, bread stew. Use day old bread, preferably a rustic loaf cut (or torn) into big chunks. The bread absorbs the broth and simmers into beautifully plump zones of pillowy dumplings.

Shortcuts

This isn’t a difficult soup to cook, although it does require some chopping. If you’re looking for a few ways to shave off some prep time. Use canned beans, and buy pre-washed & chopped kale.

Ribollita adaptations & toppings

There are a bunch! In addition to the tweaks I mentioned up above, I suspect a number of you will want to know how to make it GF. Yes, you can absolutely make it without the bread. it’s not the same stew, and not really ribollita, but it is still wonderful – just bump up the amount of beans you use (both the whole & mashed). I like to add a bit of lemon zest to each bowl for a bit of brightness, and because I can’t help myself. And I also like the saltiness of a few olives alongside the kale, so that’s a little bonus as well. I’ll also drizzle a little thinned out pesto on top if I have it on hand, or, an herb oil made by pureeing olive oil, a couple garlic cloves, parsley, and marjoram together.

Freezer-friendly

This is a freezer friendly stew. I like to make an extra-large pot of it, let it cool, and transfer it to freezer-safe containers. It’s good for a month or so frozen. If I know it’s a pot primarily bound for the freezer, I sometimes hold off on adding the bread. I’ll add it when I reheat later. But really, you can do it either way.

I hope you love this, and I hope you make it. It has all the good stuff in one pot. Enjoy! -h

Continue reading Ribollita – The Tuscan Stew you Should be Eating Regularly on 101 Cookbooks

In this post you will not only learn how to make artichoke puffs, but you will also learn the trinity of puff pastry that will give you the power to make an appetizer or dessert out of whatever the heck you have in your fridge. The equation is: Puff pastry Cream cheese Literally anything Want […]

Here’s what happened this past week:

CHRISTMAAAAASSSSS! That was the big event we all were looking forward to from the week! Kids set their alarm for 7am and therefore, we all were up at 7, ready to open presents! Putting them to bed Christmas Eve, we kept saying “don’t call out, don’t come out, stay in bed! We will come get you!” which Brooke made sure her brothers did. So in the morning when it was time to get up, we heard little calls from Blake “can we get up yet?”

Gordon likes to line us all up and have us walk out to see the gifts. Lots of the photos below are simply from Christmas morning because the kids were so excited. I opted for brown paper wrapping for all the gifts because it’s easier and went unnoticed for weeks. Plus we just don’t have anywhere to store rolls upon rolls of colorful wrapping paper. I found nicer ribbon and color coordinated ribbon to the child. It was way easier having all their stacks of gifts together and it made them realize “whoa, I have a lot of presents!”

Eddie loves his new train set and magnetic letters. Blake is in heaven with that nerf gun and the American Girl Doll knock-off went over swimmingly with Brooke, especially because we got Hermione clothes for her too. Ha! My favorite gift was this new pink coat (which I still am in love with) and I was able to surprise Gordon with tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld doing standup.

My friend, Moana (from Oregon), and her husband were in town for Christmas and came over for Christmas dinner with Mo’s sister, brother-in-law and two kids! It was a full apartment for sure, but oh so fun!! It’s so nice to see friends! We’ll probably have them over for dinner again just because we like them so much.

Christmas Eve, we took the kids early to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree, see some of the decorated windows on 5th ave and to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. I wasn’t sure how Eddie was going to do, but he LOVED the show. The number where there are a million Santa’s made his little head explode, pointing everywhere saying with as much enthusiasm as he could muster “Santa! Santa! Santa!”. It was so freaking cute. I found myself smiling through the whole thing, so we all really liked it! Word to the wise, next year if you’re wanting to go see the Rockettes, go to a local box office on Cyber Monday! Tickets will be half off with a coupon code and you won’t pay any outrageous processing fees (cough cough ticketmaster).

The rest of the week after Christmas has been pretty uneventful. We had a few rainy days and I’ve been organizing/throwing out a lot of stuff. We got rid of some toy bins that weren’t working for us and got a bookshelf in the kids room instead. We also put up some small little shelves in the bathroom and moved the little storage bins we once had in the bathroom to the kitchen. Musical bins! City living forces you to get creative sometimes and when I’m in the right mood, I like to make it happen. I almost have everything where I want it and have gotten rid of most things that just don’t fit anymore.

And since I was on my ‘get rid of everything’ rampage, we took down Christmas too. We had it up since before Thanksgiving, so I didn’t feel the least amount of guilt taking it down. Ha! Our apartment looks so much more spacious now that we got the 4 extra square feet back.

We are heading into 2019 with an organized apartment and that’s all I’ve ever really wanted. It’s old, but it gets the job done. We no longer feel *as* squished and for that I am grateful.

Blowing Brooke’s mind on Christmas morning.

Eddie thinking all the gifts are for him. Sorry, son.

We gave each kid their stack of gifts and let them go to town, opening one at a time. Ed was just a little excited.The older two were excited for their brother. I love this picture 🙂She got what she wanted.

Here is what’s coming up this next week:

My birthday! I told Gordon I want to sleep in for my birthday, so he is taking me to a hotel for the night (because he wants to sleep in too!) Can’t blame the guy.

New Years Eve! I don’t think we have plans as of yet, but normally don’t do anything and go to bed early. Business as usual. Maybe I’ll just get a few fun appetizers for dinner with some sparkling cider and call it a day.

Kids go back to school and I’m not that mad about it.

Gordon and I are speaking at our church…in front of everybody. Just a little nervous about that. (There’s a reason I have a blog and *type* up my posts! AHH!) Wish us luck.

The post This Week at the Brennans’ appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

With a well-stocked pantry, this Vegetarian Chili is an easy weeknight meal! Let it simmer while you set the table, unload the dishwasher, or relax on the couch. Loaded with beans, tomatoes, and spices, it’s a good one to add to your chili rotation.

Rich and creamy, Easy Sopapilla Cheesecake is inspired by the popular Mexican pastry. This simple dessert is made of a thick, sweet cheesecake layered between flakey crescent dough with a touch of cinnamon sugar.

I’m a Mexican food fanatic through and through….from enchiladas and Easy Chicken Fajitas to a flakey sopapilla dessert, I love it all. So, when I have an opportunity to take another favorite food (it’s cheesecake, if you haven’t guessed) and mash it up with my favorite Mexican dessert….good things happen.

Funny thing though, I was told that Sopapillas were a Mexican dessert but there are also people who claim Sopapillas originated in New Mexico.

What is a Sopapilla?

A sopapilla is a crispy, flakey deep fried pastry commonly served with honey or syrup. They can be served salty or sweet.

This Easy Sopapilla Cheesecake recipe is one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever made. While you can make sopapilla cheesecake pie, this recipe is made in a 13×9 inch baking dish so they REALLY should be called Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars since they’re sliced into squares….or rectangles….or whatever strikes your mood at the time.

How to make Sopapilla Cheesecake

Sopapilla Cheesecake is quick and easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool so you can eat it!

To make Sopapilla Cheesecake:

Unroll crescent dough and press it into the bottom of a baking dish.

Combine the cream cheese, vanilla, egg and sugar together in a bowl and top the first layer of dough.

Unroll the second can of dough and lay it over the cheesecake filling.

Pour the butter over the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake, cool and enjoy!

The Perfect Cheesecake Recipe

Now, I do love a classic cheesecake recipe and have clearly mastered the New York Cheesecake with a light creamy filling. I used the same similar ingredients in this Sopapilla Cheesecake Bar recipe to get the same airy, ethereally smooth texture.

To up the ante just a smidge, I added a bit of cinnamon to the cheesecake filling, as well as, the topping for a warm, comforting flavor that is so totally dreamy.

Do you need to refrigerate sopapilla cheesecake bars? Simple answer, yes. When I am asked how to store sopapilla cheesecake bars, I suggest you tightly wrap your baking dish and place them in the fridge, for up to a week.

I love that this Sopapilla Cheesecake is a non-traditional cheesecake recipe, it seems more casual and fitting for a relaxed get together or even a tailgate party.

More Fun and Easy Cheesecake Recipes

Easy Blender Cheesecake

Baklava Cheesecake – So good!

Cheesecake Dessert Tacos

Apple Cheesecake Pie

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Easy Sopapilla Cheesecake Recipe

Inspired by the Mexican pastry, this easy Sopapilla Cheesecake Bar recipe is simple and quick with a crispy, cinnamony topping.

2 8-ounce cans refrigerated crescent rolls (divided)

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese (at room temperature)

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (divided)

1 3/4 cups sugar (divided)

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly)

Preheat to 350 degrees.

Unroll one can of crescent roll dough and press it evenly into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish pinching the seams together if necessary.

Using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla, egg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar in a medium bowl on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough with a rubber spatula.

Unroll the second can of dough and lay it on top of the cream cheese layer. Stretch the dough to cover the cream cheese and pinch the seams to seal.

Pour the butter over the top of the dough and spread to coat.

Whisk together the remaining sugar and cinnamon then sprinkle over the top of the dough to coat.

Bake until the dough is cooked through and puffed up, about 50 minutes.

It’s our last weekend of the year and I’m going out with a bang! Hosting a giant brunch tomorrow for my friends and fam and I’m locked and loaded. Ready for the most epic Winter Brunch Menu of all times?! Here we go!

A festive cocktail to quench the thirstiest crowd, easy Champagne Mimosa Punch is just what you need for every party. Simple to make with just a few ingredients, this punch recipe stays cool with a classic addition of fruity sorbet!

We’re getting ready to ring in the New Year and I can’t even believe it. This year was filled with so many twisty, turns events that I’m both exhilarated and saddened that it’s over. But a new year always brings in the feeling of freshness, time for a clean slate. Time to celebrate all that the previous year threw at you whether with a curve ball or a speed ball and what better way to kick off the party than with a Champagne Mimosa Punch.

I remember hovering around the punch bowl when I was little at all the parties which I could fill a glass with the frothy, melty sorbet topped sweetness that floated around in the punch bowl. It wasn’t until I was older that I realize….yes, I was totally missing out! Grown ups sure knew how to live, and the punch bowl slowly became a thing of the past.

Well, I’m bringing it back because punch sure does not belong in a pitcher. Punch belongs in a big bowl, with a deep ladle…and matchy, matchy mini punch glasses to sip it in. This Champagne Mimosa Punch is so easy and soooo good. If you don’t have a punch bowl collecting dust in the basement, you’ll be ordering one online like now.

How to make Champagne Mimosa Punch:

This quick Champagne Mimosa Punch recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients. All you need to whip up this easy punch recipe is Cointreau (or another orange liqueur), champagne, orange juice and your favorite fruity sorbet. I used mango, strawberry and lemon because their colors were festive and bright.

We love to serve this champagne punch at all kinds of special celebrations. It’s fantastic for bridal showers, baby showers, casual weddings and, of course, holiday brunches!

It’s so easy to serve up a crowd of people with a punch recipe because you won’t be standing behind a bar mixing up single cocktails all day long. Just dump all the ingredients into your punch bowl and give it a stir. Top with scoops of fruit sorbet or sherbet, which does double duty to help keep it chilled, slices of oranges and serve!

What kind of serving bowl is needed for Champagne Mimosa Punch?

When you’re serving a punch recipe at a party, it’s easiest if you have a punch bowl. Some punch recipes can be served in pitchers, and those work just fine. But since this recipe has floating scoops of sorbet, it’s definitely nice to serve this is a big bowl where those scoops can float freely. It will be easier to scoop into individual serving glasses too.

I found a pretty inexpensive glass punch bowl set on Amazon that serves 8. And here is a plastic punch bowl with a crystal look, but this one does not come with matching glasses.

If you’re looking for more easy cocktail recipes, be sure to try:

Pomegranate Punch

Vodka Party Punch

Fireball Whiskey Punch

Cranberry Mimosas

Easy Champagne Mimosa Float

Champagne Mimosa Punch Recipe

Ready in minutes, this Champagne Mimosa Punch is easy to make with just a few ingredients.